Humidifier



Sept. 26, 1944. FURLONG 2,358,968 HUMIDIFIER Filed Feb.' 16. 1940 '2 Sheets -Sheet 2 I nu enter Francis A. Furlong B? Norman C. Penj-olcL b MfiWi) A Attorneys 4% Patent d Sept. 26, 1944 cago, Ill., assignors, by rnesn'e assignmentsjto Autogas Company, Chicago, 111., aeorporation.

of Illinois Application February 16, 1940, Serial No. 319,228

6 Claims.

This invention relates to humidifiers and more particularly to devices for producing a highly humidified stream of air in a dry state.

'One of the objects of the invention is to provide a humidifierwhich will produce dry vapor. The vapor may be superheated but in any case 'will be in a dry state.

Another object of the invention is to provide a humidifier which will produce a highly humidified stream of air in a 'dry' state. According to one feature of the invention this is accomplished by mixing a stream of heated air with dry water vapor or steam.

Still another object of the invention is to provide ahumidifier including a tank in which a constant'level of water is maintained without the use of float valves. One advantageous construction for effecting this result includes no moving parts other than a simple bimetal strip.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a humidifier which may be cleaned easily and quickly to remove any scale or impurities left by the water.

The above and other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: i

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating one installation of the humidifier of the present invention; I 1

Figure 2 is a partial side view of another installation viewed at right angles to -Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section'through the humidifier; 1

Figure 4 is a plan View of the tank construction; and 2 the Space above the floor I4 is supplied with humidified air through outlets 30.

1 A slightly modified installation is -illustrated in Figure 2, humidifier parts therein corresponding to like parts in Figure 1 being indicated by the same reference numerals. As shown, the humidifier I8 is supported from a pipe or'post 32 by a bracket 34 and instead of being connected to. a furnace outlet pipe it discharges directly through a grill 36into the room space. An installation of this type may be employed Where the space is heated by means. other than'a hot air furnace or where connection to the furnace is Y not desired for some other reason.

The humidifier itself, asbest seen in Figure 3, comprises an outer substantially'rectangular casing 38 formed at its upper end with an outlet opening- 40v which may be connected to any desired-type of outlet pipe. The casing may be provided with louvers such as 2.6 at any desired point, and if desired, the casing bottom may be formed with air inletopenings not shown.

Within the casing there is mounted a tank 42 formed with an enlarged upper portion and a reduced-lower portion 44 at one side of the upper portion. Between the upper and lower portions there is formed a substantially horizontal shelf or wall 46. The tank is adapted to contain water to a level substantially as shown and the water may be heatedby a burner 48 shown as being a gas burner of the type more particularly described and claimed in th patent to Ames No. 2,041,683. The burner is supplied with gas from the pipe 20 through a valve mechanism 50 shown Figures 5, 6 and 7 are side elevations of the tank construction taken from three sides.

In the installation shown in Figure 1 there is illustrated a furnace ll] of the hot air type having hot air outlet pipes 12 extending therefrom. The furnace is arranged in'a basement space below a floor l4 and has mounted at one side thereof on a suitable'pedestal l6 a humidifier indicated generally at l8. Gas and water pipes 20 and 22 extend to the humidifier and a drain pipe 24 extends therefrom to a suitable waste outlet. v

The humidifier casing isprovided with a series of louvered air inlets 26 and an upper outlet 28 connected to one of thehot air outlet pipes [2 Air flowing in through the inlets 26 is highly humidified and mixes with thehot dryair flowing from the furnace through the pipe l2, so that .as. including two passages in parallel each separately controlled by restricting screws Y52 and one of which is additionally controlled by a man- 'ual valve 54. When the valve 54 is closed gas is "supplied to" the burner through only one of the passages while when the. valv 54 is open .both passages are open in parallel so thatthe burner will burn with a higher flame. While a very sim iple form of manual control mechanism has been illustrateditwill be understood that the burner could be controlled either manually or automati- JcaIly-in any desired mannersas, for example, in the manner shown more particularly in the Ames patent referred to above.

The upper end of the burner 48 is connected .to

,fa-J'acket 5e which'isspaced from the tank. 42

and which extends along the bottom portion 46 and one vertical side portion and across the top of thetank Combustion products from the burner will fiow around the space between the tank and jacket to heat the water in the tank and also to heat air around the jacket. The flue products may be conducted out through a flue 58, although if desired, the flue 58 might be omitted to allow the flue products to mix directly with the air and vapor in the casing 38.

Airflowing around the tank 42 and jacket 56 is heated by contact therewith and this heating efiect may be increased by providing a series of spaced fins 66 on the jacket. Th fins preferably terminate adjacent the walls of the casing 38 so as to form vertical flues through which air may flow from the lower to the upper part of the casing, the air becoming highly heated during such flow due to its contact with the heated surfaces of the jackets and with the fins 66. Sim- 5 will be kept clean.

ilar fins 62 may be provided on the sides of the tank to increase the heating effect of the air from contact with the tank.

Steam or water vapor from the tank is conducted into the casing through nozzles 64 communicating with the upper part of the tank and extending through the jacket 56 Since these nozzles are arranged in the direct path of the flue products from the burner they will be heated to a high degree and will tend to dry or superheat the vapor flowing therethrough. This efiect may be increased if desired by arranging the nozzles so as to discharge substantially horizontally across the top of the jacket between adjacent fins 66, as best seen in Figure 3. Under some circumstances however, particularly where hard water is used, it may be preferred to eliminate the angular nozzle arrangement and permit the vapors to discharge vertically through straight nozzle passages.

Water is supplied to the tank 42 from a vertical pipe 66 standing beside the tank and connected to the bottom of the lower tank portion 44. The vertical pipe 66 is open at its upper end and is connected at its lower end through a valve 68 with the drain pipe 24 of Figures 1 and 2. Preferably a clean out plug I0 is provided opposite the connection to the tank portion 44 to permit cleaning out of sediment or sludge accumulated therein. The water pipe 22 is connected to a pipe 12 which terminates adjacent the upper end of the pipe 66 in an open nozzle end. A bimetal strip 14 secured in the upper end of the pipe 66 carries a valve pad adapted -to seat under the pipe 1.2 to close it. The strip 14 is so arranged that when it is heated it moves the valve pad away from the pipe 12 to admit water, and when it is cooled it closes the pipe 12.

The bimetal strip 14 is controlled by steam or heated vapor from the tank 42 passing through a horn member 16 which is connected to the pipe 66 adjacent the bimetal strip, and which terminates within the tank in a downwardly facing end 18. When the water level in the tank is high enough to close the lower end of the horn member 16 the only vapor rising therethrough is that generated from the surface of the water within the horn member. If the water level drops below the open end of the horn member a relatively low resistance path for the outlet of vapor is provided and increased quantities thereof from the tank will flow through the horn member and pass through the strip 14. This will heat the strip causing it to open the pipe 12 and admit more water until the desired level within the tank is again attained.

According to one feature of the invention the 0 a manual valve 82.

lower end 18 of the horn member is cut off at an acute angle to the horizontal part so that it is gradually opened as the water level decreases.

This construction produces a gradually increasing amount of steam passing the strip 14 until the pipe 12 is opened and eliminates any tendency toward fluttering.

During operation, particularly where relatively hard water is employed a certain amount of scale or sediment will accumulate in the tank. Due to the fact that water directly over the wall portion 46 is maintained in a state of relativel high motion by the heating effect, and that the water in the lower portion 44 of the tank is relatively cooler and more quiet, the scale will tend to collect in the portion 44 of the tank. Periodically the drain valve 68 should be opened in order to drain off such scale or sediment so that the tank In order to flush out the pipe 66 to remove any sediment accumulated therein the water inlet pipe 22 is connected to a branch pipe through The pipe 86 terminates adjacent the upper end of pipe 16 and above the open end of pipe 12 in a downwardly facing nozzle so that when the drain valve 68 is open and the valve 82 is open water will be circulated downwardly through the pipe 66 to flush out any sediment collected in the lower portion thereof. It will be noted that water discharged from the pipe 80 washes over the end of pipe 12 and the valve pad to remove any materials tending to collect at this point.

If desired, an overflow pipe 84 may be provided communicating with the pipe 66 to prevent the water in the tank from rising to a dangerously high level under any conditions.

Arter draining and flushing the tank it may, if desired, be refilled by closing Valve 68 and opening valve 82 to allow water to flow freely into the tank. If desired, sight openings 86 may be provided'in the pipe 66 so that the water level may be observed during refilling. If the tank is not refilled by opening the valve 82 it will automaticallyrefill itself tothe desired level, since in the absence of water in the tank all parts will become heated to a high enough extent to deflect the bimetal strip 14.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail it will be understood that this is illustrative only and is not intended as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims. a

What is claimed is:

1. A humidifier comprising a tank adapted to contain water, a jacket extending partially across the bottom, along one side and across the top of the tank, heating means connected to said jacket to circulate hot gases between the tank and jacket, a series of parallel heat-radiating fins on said jacket, and a discharge nozzle connected to the upper part of the tank and extending through the jacket between adjacent ones of said fins.

2. In a humidifier, a tank adapted to contain water having an enlarged upper portion and a reduced lower portion connected by a substantially, horizontal bottom part, a vertical pipe beside the tank connected to said reduced lower portion, a Water inlet adjacent the upper end of said pipe, a thermostat controlling said water inlet, a conduit member having an open end noranally submerged in water in the tank but opened when the water level falls to conduct steam into the pipe to heat the thermostat, and means to heat thewaterin the, tank.

3. In a-humidifier, a tank adapted to contain water, means for heating the water in the tank,

a pipe beside the tank and communicating there- 'with, a water inlet conduit discharging into said pipe, a thermostatic member controlling the water inlet conduit, and a downwardly facing horn member extending into the tank and connected to the pipe to conduct steam to the pipe when the water level in the tank falls below its open end, thereby to heat the thermostatic member to open the water inlet conduit.

4. In a humidifier, a tank adapted to contain water, means for heating the water in the tank, a pipe beside the tank and communicating therewith, a water inlet conduit discharging into said pipe, a thermostatic member controlling the water inlet conduit, and a downwardly facing horn member extending into the tank and terminating in an open bottom at an angle to the horizontal, said horn member being connected to the pipe to conduct steam thereto when the water level in the tank falls below said open bottom.

5. In a humidifier, a tank adapted to contain water, means for heating the water in the tank,

a pipe beside the tank and communicating therewith, a water inlet conduit discharging into said pipe, a bimetal strip in the pipe controlling the,

'water, means for heating the water in the tank,

a vertical pipe beside the tank and connected to the lower part of the tank, a drain valve in the lower end of the pipe, a water inlet conduit opening into the upper end of said pipe, a valve controlling the open end of said conduit, means responsive to the level of water in the tank to control the valve, and a water connection in the 20 pipe above the valve to flush the pipe.

FRANCIS A. FURLONG. NORMAN C. PENFOLD. 

